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On November 19, a fun Saturday night at Club Q in Colorado Springs ended in bloodshed when a shooter entered the club just minutes before midnight and opened fire on club goers.
The shooter, later identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, killed five people and injured 18 others before he was subdued by two customers.
Over the past couple of days, various witnesses and victims of the senseless attack have come forward to talk about their harrowing experiences of a night that was supposed to celebrate the trans community.
Quinn Rains, who was clubbing with friends when the incident happened, remembers fearing for their lives. Rains told People:
"It took me a minute to figure out what was happening. And then it sunk in that it was really happening. I looked at my friend and said 'Oh my God. Get down."
The shooting at Colorado Springs reminded Quinn Rains of the deadly 2016 shooting at Pulse, a nightclub in Orlando:
"Ever since Pulse, I've always been worried about this happening. It's always in the back of my mind that this could happen here. I don't like standing with my back against the door, I always know that we could be targets. When the shooting started, all I could think of was Pulse."
The mass shooting also reminded Christine Leinonen of Pulse, who lost her son in 2016 to the mass murder which killed 49 club goers. She told USA Today:
"Everything comes flooding back...They go through their lives being marginalized anyway, and then to be targeted. That has an impact not just for the family and friends of the direct victims, but it affects that entire community."
A Colorado Springs shooting survivor recalled celebrating his birthday the night of the attack
Joshua Thurman, a Colorado Springs survivor, said that he was having a birthday celebration when the shooting took place. In tears, he mourned the loss of a safe haven and questioned whether the Colorado Springs community could ever feel safe again. In an interview with local broadcaster KRDO-TV, he said:
"This is our only safe space here in the Springs. And so for this to get shot up, it's like: what are we gonna do now? Where are we gonna go?...how are we gonna feel safe in our city?...There was nothing keeping that man from coming in to kill us... why did this have to happen? Why? Why did people have to lose their lives?"
When Thurman heard shots being fired, he immediately left the dance floor and hid in a dressing room, along with another patron and a drag performer named Del Lusional.
According to The Colorado Sun, the police failed to realize that there were people hiding inside, and were surprised to see them.
Thurman also described heartbreaking scenes at the site of the shooting, which included "shattered glass, broken cups, people crying" and the bodies of those who were shot dead by the gunman, later identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich.
Aldrich is currently facing several murder and hate crime charges. The Denver Post reported that they were scheduled to make their first court appearance on Wednesday, November 23.
